Edifier R2000DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers

Description

Edifier R2000DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers – Near-Field Studio Monitors – Optical Input – 120 Watts RMS

The Edifier R2000DB is best described as a compact, Bluetooth compatible speaker system, the R2000DB’s definitely ticking the compact box. At only 6.8x 11.4x 9.9inch/ 174×289×252mm (W x H x D), they’re barely taller than a magazine, and narrower to boot. This makes them ideal for desktop placement (assuming you’ve got a decent sized desk), or for use alongside a TV as an alternative to a soundbar. The review set was mounted on lightweight stands and set up as hi-fi speakers.

Regardless of where they’re located, the Edifier R2000DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers look great. The styling and quality of finish are well ahead of what we’d been expecting at the price point. The glossy curved side panels are nicely matched by the textured finish on the front, top and rear surfaces, while the angled-back design adds a touch of elegance. The styling works with or without the grilles and we noticed no sonic issues whatsoever when they were in place.

Just like many similar speakers, the amplifier, inputs and controls are on the back of one speaker, with a cable running to the second passive speaker. In a nod to higher quality and potentially better fidelity, the connection between the speakers is through a thick cable with dedicated connectors on both ends. Front mounted controls total exactly zero (bar an indicator light), the action is all around the back, or preferably through the small remote control. While the speakers can theoretically be operated via the rear controls, life is dramatically easier if you use the remote.

There were no functionality or connectivity issues during the review period. In fact, the only glitch I can pick is the remote control. It is far too easy to lose, and the function keys could be marked more clearly. However, this is by no means an uncommon problem with small remotes, so the speakers aren’t being marked down for this.

The amplifier module’s power is quoted at 36W per channel for the woofer and 24W per channel for the tweeter, which should, in theory, be more than ample. The woofer is a 5-inch unit that’s apparently constructed of aluminium alloy, but bizarrely, it looks and feels just like a polypropylene material. The tweeter is a 1-inch silk dome unit. That’s not a lot of woofer area, and with the small cabinet and its inherent low internal volume, it’s logical to expect a desktop-sized sound, with not too much low end. Fairly substantial bass reflex ports are mounted on the back panel, which combined with the claimed frequency range of 55Hz-20KHz(±3db) led me to expect what bass there was to be loose and boomy.

These expectations simply didn’t eventuate, and again, the Edifier R2000DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers delivered far more than anticipated. There’s actually heaps of low end here, and that 55Hz figure is not only believable but the bass output is actually well balanced and relatively tight. It’s adjustable too, which is very useful for speakers that could be sited anywhere from a TV cabinet to a table in the middle of a room. For the review, the speakers were sited close to a wall. With the rear bass control set to one click below the middle (or ‘normal’) setting, the balance was spot on, with no booming or bass-related boundary interactions, at least in this specific room.

So for compact speakers, there’s a genuinely surprising amount of bass. No, it’s not subwoofer-level, nor is it even close to what you’d get from a much bigger set of speakers but damn, it just sounds good!

The rest of the frequencies are as enjoyable as the lower octaves. The soft tweeter does an impeccable job of bringing the high end to life, and it integrates well with the woofer’s contributions. Careful listening revealed no obvious suck-outs or major peaks, which contributes in a big way to the smooth sound and overall impression of sonic quality.

Basically, the Edifiers never disappointed despite being used for hundreds of hours of listening, covering everything from background music to focused listening while discovering new artists and tracks. Sources included Bluetooth from phone and computer, as well as files served from phone and iPod Classic via the RCA Aux input (we never had the opportunity to try the optical input). Of course, those files varied wildly from low-res YouTube videos to CD-quality, but regardless of what was being played, we never leapt for the remote to turn down the levels, or for the bass knob to bring the low end under control.

More importantly, we never felt as if we were missing out on a great deal of the hi-fi experience. Now, that might sound odd given that we’re talking about mid-range speakers here. We understand that hi-fi can cost exactly what you want to pay for it, even if that’s as much as a luxury car. In this case, it’s safe to say that these are hi-fi speakers, they are clear, detailed, deep and punchy enough to serve perfectly well as a music playback system that creates enjoyable moments, which is the very definition of hi-fi.

The fidelity is high enough to tick that box. Improvement is of course easy. Basically, these speakers offer astonishing value for money. There is no evidence whatsoever that the manufacturer cut any corners. It’s quite the opposite, in fact, Edifier’s engineers have made some very cunning judgment calls here, allocating the parts budget about as effectively as I’ve ever heard or seen at this level.